Machine for shrinking and felting hat bats



Aug. 3, 1943. H. A. GENEST MACHINE FOR SHRINKING AND FELTING HAT BATS Filed June 1, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l :11 hue-Whom I fzbMER A. GZTNEL) T Aug. 3, 1943. I H. A. GENEST ,32

- MACHINE FOR SHRINKING AND FELTING HAT BATS Filed June 1, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 170M512 A. GENES?" Aug. 3, 1943- H. A. GENEST MACHINE FOR SHRINKING AND FEL'PING HAT BATS Filed June 1, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 3, 1943. H. A. GENEST 2,325,909

MACHINE FOR SHRINKING AND FELTING HAT BATS Filed June 1, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 HOMER A. GENES? 15; 1192 17, to,.th e United :States fiatgMachine-ry y Corporation, ,aszassignee I .show alzrmethomof and'app'aratus-for shrinking and feltingahatibats and'whereinthe batsoarebassedabetween rollers in an;unro1led andssaturatedicondition rand1a" not is secured.

- which 'the pres'e'ntinvention inayj-tak which] machine *is particularly :a-da-pte V Figure 1-isa s i'de iewf'sihowing m er -diagrammaticallymyimprovedmachine" the roller s'in endfelevation and aed'sncwmga I bat in longitudinalsection*pe ssingf'between'the Patented Aug. 3, 1943 v. @MAcnmE FonshimixmGAND FEtTING" 7 Homer Ai G'l'iles tfD z inliurfi"Court,- assignor' to "United SitateisiflatiMaichinery Corporatiom 'Nw i I York, N5'Y.', cel poi'ation of Virginia-1 V r 1 If .if- L 1trl j@ 1e fieil? fie ei' Ne. 338L321 z-cran s. (oi-12 4) Thisinvention relates toilie f mmga mfi 15* I ing oft-bats from Whiehiur or-felt hats aremade; r In 'myfPatent; No. 11,620,957, grantedio iMarch regular; pattern; of elevations and gdepr'essions V spaced apart transverseiy-and lengthwisez of' the} directionin whiehgthe hats, move isipro'g'itessed through the betsso} that the, floats: are; repeatedly bentior flexed vbask and iorth in .alpluraiitynf di-l rections. t The jlim'fif ,the.present invention-sis to prof vide an improved method and" :machinexby means of whichuhat bats may be more expeditiously felted and shr cinkeuid.- a higher qualityiofprod j A'further aim of thednventien .is toiprovide certain. improvements .in ithezrmethod and male r chine shownin.mysaidiPatentNo:1,620,951;i if By. proceeding in accordance with; the present inventionithe cost flfufelting (and islirinigi-nghat bets is materially reduced,.amsavingdn tiine and imamountl'of fur-.usecliis eifectedgthe batsa are' properly: felted" andgshruiik'ithroug'hout the thick I nessioiitheplies thereof,::and:ba;ts: of5smo0t *r andhetter textureareiobtained'. i L .Afurther-iaim iof the invention is td provide an improved-machine which is simpl'eiin construe: tion Land economical i operationend 'ubkeep; andiwl iich isf'capable ofuse through-e; wide: rainge of felting and-shrinkingbperations; and where; in-the bats are expeditiously shrunk feltdand vcrozed v i z iaf In the'aiccompa-nying-drawings, wherein i have shown for illustrative purifioses one embodiment e; and

%0 incarrying out 'my improve'd method '0 and felting;

i ,n ,wju m Fig.2 isan end View of'the mjaehinevvith pa s broken away; 7 I v V Fig; '3" is "a fragmentary View showing Fig.4 isefdetail View or pair'or'ro11ers" 'th he bet in cross section -therebetween; it bein ta-ken: substa ntagllyf on transverse" secmc'nelj Vie urnalledlin' suitable bea in tively driven int-any; suita numera 22'. Erie 'or are' of'lesser Width than} t I v for; a purposeeater fdes'er-i b'd 1 i ew ib the dev 22 pox and jloracketiij e. rollers K ame nt t n e br e w L v 0 hereinafter described more n deta'l v of the upper set; are journalled in a one ply relative; to the other) the upper, rollers V are; driven at a. slightly; lesser yneripheral gs peed tha'nthe lowerrollers through frietional en age 'ment with the lower rollers and the batsir passing throughthe rnzi'cl'iine,v V in Each of the rollers .isprovided withzsp'aced I apart cylindrical grooves so-that each roll'erzhas spaced apart cylindrical :rings thereabout sep arated by grooves, the base: 'surfaces oi which are cylindrical. 'I -hus each: rollerrhas cylindrica'l portions of alternately larger and smallerzdiameters. .Inl'the presentinstance, the ring'alike pore I V v tionsor portions 01 1"rger'diameter are designated r fi :f'

elmeterby the numral il,endthegrooves bythe i ion's oi larger :uiamter e width -of th grooves by; the numeral ZBQ' th'e portions of smaller tions fofjthe'fbtlieltf'fset "of fi ollersgiwhichiis4th? r lr thezlower V 7 enu wans {which ridwvlalisire 'the same'assayingthatthe grooves in the rollers of a one set are slightly deeper than those in the rollers of the other set. In the present illustrative disclosure shown in the drawings, the ring-1ike portions 2!! of all of the rollers are of the same diameter but the reduced portions H of the rollers of the upper set arepf lesser diameter than the,reduce'dl portions Moi thegrollers of j the lower set. Thus the height X (see Fig; 4) of the ring-like portions of the rollers B is greater than the height Y of the ring-like portions of therollersA. Y

From the drawings,

pair comprising an upper roller anda ,lowen roller,

It will further be noted that the ring-likeor enlarged portions of each roller of each pair register with and normally extend intothe grooves 22 of the other roller of such pair. .The enlarged portions 20 oftherollers of the upper set engage the peripheries'of the reduced portions of the rollers of the lower set whenno batzis passing space25'betweenthe peripheries of the ring-like portions of the rollers for the lower set and the reduced portions 21 of the rollers of the upper set, this space being of'less heightthan the thicknessof a bat.' As previously stated, the ring-like portions 20 are of lesser width than the reduced portions 2 I the purpose of thisarrangement being to provide spaces'betweerl the opposing end walls it will be noted that the rollers are assembled in a seriesofpairs, each 15- will change theelevations into depressions and the depressions into elevations. However, in the present instance, the top portions 26 of the elevations and the bottom portions 21 of the depressions formed in the bat are generally plane or level and are generally horizontally disposed with respect to the .generalcplane of movement of the a bat, and the level portions of the depressions are joined with the level portions of the elevations by angular sides 28. Also, in accordance with the present invention, as a bat passes between a pair of rollers, the level bottom portions 21 of the depressions are compressed to an appreciable ex- .ftent between the cylindrical enlarged portions 20 of thejupper roller andthe cylindrical reduced portions 2| ofthe lower roller, the lines of contact between these portions of the rollers in the I th'erebetween'. i Insuch condition,there is aslight 1 directions of the length of the rollers being substantial; The upper portions 26 of the elevations arelikewise compressed, but to a lesser degree, between the peripheries-of the enlarged portions 20 of the lower roller and the'reduced portions 2! of the-upper roller. The angular sides '28 of thebats, which are located within the spaces 24, are notcornpressed but are under-tension; 1 Thus, as the'bats are advanced they; are repeatedly I waved or bent back and forth in the direction of the length of the rollersandin the direction in of the rings on the rollers or each pair. Such spaces, which are indicated by the numeral 24, are preferably slightly wider than the thickness of thetwoj pliesiofa batjso that the portions of thebat which are within such spaces, as the "bat passesbetween the two sets of rollers, is not com-' pressed or under pressure. 'By preference, the upper rollers mayiloat' toa limited extent in an axial directionj j As shown in Figs. -3 and.5,the enlarged' por tions of adjacent rollers of=each setare inter- 7 so manipulated that they work intoea ch other which the bats pass through the machine, and

the bat is repeatedly compressed, the compression action i taki'ng place each time the bat passes be- 1 tween apair ofrollers, and-the compression being.alonglines'extending longitudinally'of the rollers but spaced apart longitudinally thereof. It is; of course, understood that-as the bat passes throughthe machine it becomes somewhat re 'duced in size, thatis, it shrinks, the fibres being and become securely interlaced.

Furthermore, with the arrangement described,

the bats are automatically crozed as'they pass through the machine; that is to say, one of the nested orinte'rlocked; that -is to say, the en- 'larged portions*-of--one -roller eXtendj into the grooves of the next'preceding' and the'nextfollowing rollers without, however, being in actual engagement with such rollers, this arrangement being of advantage in that'it will prevent the bats from-winding themselves upon a roller or inadvertently-passing between two rollers of the sameset; W l With the arrangement so far-described; it will plies. is progressively shifted: to a slight extent relative to the otherply on each pass of a bat. The-angular. positions of thebats as they pass intothe machine are changed or varied so that be clear that the lower set'tof rollers is so con-' structed and arranged as to provide parti-cylindrical elevations which are arranged in diagonal lines, that is, in a checkerboard-like pattern, and the surface .provided bythe under side of the upper rollers is complementary to the .uppersurface provided by. the lower rollers. The, elevations providedby theenlarged portions .of the 'thecrozing-action takesplace indiiferent directions and the proper shape of the bat is maintained. The crozing action is efiected by the fact that. theupper rollers are driven through their frictional engagement with the lower rollers at a slightly lesserperipheraI speed than the lower rollers. It wil1 be recalled that when a bat is not I passed-between a pairof rollers, theupper roller rollers iand the depressions, provided r by the grooves .ofthe rollers are ofsubstantial width.

in a; direction parallelto the axis of rotation'of is frictionally driven by, a lower one due to the engagement between the reduced portions of the lowerroller and the enlarged portions of the upper rollerjand also that'th'e reduced portions of the upper rollers are of slightly lesser diameterthan the reduced portions of the lower rollers; Thus, at the. points of contact (one of which is designated by the numeral 30 in Fig. 3) between the the rollers. gAs aibat is fedthrough the machine,

the operationjis generally similar to that dee scribed in m-y lsaidPatent No. 1,620,957 in that in thedirectionofthelength or these rollers and,

the first pair of rollers 'will wave or bend the bat 3 as thebatisadvanced, the second pair of rollers willwavefzthe'batfin the opposite direction; that istofsay those portionsof the bats which formed the elevations and the 'd'epn'essions' of the pre-. ceding wave respectively become the depressions and elevations of the 'Wavelfmade by'the second pair of rollers. Each'succe'edirig pair'of rollers ring-like portions 20 of an upper roller and the reducedportions 2| of thecompanion lower roller, the surface speed is'the same but the surface speed of'the ring-like portions and the. reduced portions of the upper rollerv are slower than the respective surface speeds of the ring-like portions and the. reduced portions of the-lower roller.

When the tip of a bat enters the throat between apairof rollers, the upper rollerQ-having a somewhat lesseriperipheral speed,will.somewhat retard the movement for that. portion of the bat which engages the'upper roller so that the line of fold is slightly changed attha'tpoint. The aim amount of shifting' on each pass-trustee through the machine is relatively slight but-it sufficient to prevent streaks and rods. l

' -Fi1rtherr'nore, accordance with the present,

each of the chai ns; In tne resent'instanee, the.

rollers are connected insuccession by {chains located at opposite ends fof the rollers Thesprockets and chai'ns atitheri'ght hand side of the machine, referring to Fig. 2, are respectively designated bythe' numerals 32 and 34. 4 Assuming that a batis 'passing throh'g'hth first pair of rollers, theupper rollerof that pair is,-oic'o urse, being drivenby its 'fri'ctionalengagement with the upper surfaceoi" the bat, andtheupper roller of the second pair is being driventhroughitsfrictional engagement with its companion lower roller. When the forwa'rd'edgeof the bat en'- g'ages in the throat between therollersof the second pair the upper roller is lift'ed'slightly 1 and there may bee. tendency for it to stop rotating with there'sult that the batwill becorne bunched upin the throat; With the present arrangement; this is avoided because thetendency of the roller of the second pair to stop rotating is overcome by the driving action onthat roller irom the pre-' ceding upper'roller; M 1 V As previously stated, the rollers or the lower set may begdriveninlany suitable manner; "For example, as shown in the drawings,the. drive may consist 'oi'the WormjshaftlZ journalled'in a gear box ss'extendin'g along one side offth'e machine, and worms 40 meshing'with the worm shaft and're'spectively iiiredto the right hand ends of the shafts of the rollers A. O n the left hand end of theshaft of the first roller of the lower set'isee Fig. '2 pthere may be a gear 41 for driving transfer'rolls (not shown):

' The pressure'rollersB may-be of themselves" of such weight that the springs !8 are not required,' but," by preference, these springs are provided and the pressure or the springs may be adjusted to vary the pressure between the rollers in accordance with the particular stageof the felting and shrinking operation to be'performed.

If the ats are relatively tender, the spring;pres-. sure may be relatively light and as the'felting operation is proceeded with and the'bats become harder and tougher, the spring pressure rnay be increased. The means for adjusting the pressure of the springs may, of' course, j be of any suitable type. In the present instance,fth'ere is.

shown along each side of the" machine a rock shaft 42 having arms 43 which bear upon'caps suitable ineans riorieiss'how-ni I I 4 here to say that. the sprinklingt'arrangement v saturated condition; r'any' drawingsg'it Being. suflicient s ownin yjsaid Pattent-NoxlgfiQdQS't may-be weir-splint rthis purposei Ase-many'cl'iangegzeould bemadein theaboirej construction and many app y i i i' f :fierent embodiments of .thi'S 'iriventionicoul'dz be made without departing from thescope thereof;

11-; is intended' that' allxmatter containedi'in: abovedescription or: shown inthe accompanying drawings shall-be interpreted Ease illustrativegand not in a liir'iiting sense..-

It islalso llto. be understood. that the language usedin' the ffollowing claims i'sintnded toic'oven alll-o'tlthe' generic and specific features-*0 the' invention hereindescribed and" all stat'emehts oij' the'scop'e'pf the inventionfwhich, as az-m'altter of language, *might besaid to fall 7 therebetweeni f I claim as niy inven tionr" 1. In a in'achin'e for shrinking by cylindrical reduced portions ='to" form re -sun race having crosswise spaced. apart depression-s1; and ele'vations or generally particylifndri-califorrh;- and a secondgplurality of rollers forming a sur race complementary to the'surface forrned by the firstrollers; the' h'eight of the. ring-l'iKe-po'r} tions of 'someofthe rollers beinggreater than,

the heighto'f th'e ring-like portions of :the "other rollers. i 5

2:111 a machine for shrinking hat bats, two sets of roller's betweeniwhich the bat'i's advanced,

the-rollers of each set having-alternate cylindrical ersons or enlarged and reduced "diam ters, the "enlarged "portions of one set of; rollers extending into the grooves provided by there- A ducedportionsforthe other setiof rollers, and the portions 0f. larger diameter or oneset of rollers being oi gre'ater height than those oft'he' other'setl" 4 M 3. In a inachine'for shrinlring'hat bats; apluralityfef rollers; eachfoffsaid rollers having genera-lly' cylindrical ring-like portions spaced apart by cylindrical-.reduced-portioris to 'form"'a sur:

facefliav'i'ng crosswise spaced apart depressions and elevations of 'generallyparticylindrical form; and a second plurality cffrollersforming a sui iace complementary t'o the surface formed'by the first rollersjthe en walls-ofthe ring-like E4 located on the upper ends 'ofth e" plungers l5 whichare encircled by the springs l8. Fixed to an end of each of the rock shafts 42 is an" adjusting handle 43 which carries a spring pressed dog 4'! adapted to be selectivelyengaged in the notches 48 of the fixed segment plate 49.

By adjusting the position of these handles, the pressure of the springs may be correspondingly adjusted. r

portions-Being inclined-to a plane- Iiormal'tofthe- Y axes of the rollers, and'thefring like-'portioris-of v f slightly greater the rollers ofonefset being heightthanthose'of-theother-set. I

-' 4. In a ma'chine-"for shrinkingfhat batsya set of supporting-rollers, a" set of pressure rollers paired with an'urge'd' towards saidsuppoitifig where, said rollers havi'ngalternate "cylindrical portions cf'enlarged and reduced diameters, i the enlarged portions of each roller of each pairfreg- I istering with the grooves of theother'roller of the pair, sai'd"enlarged portioris being of'lesser width than the reduced portions-and' thecenlarged -por tions of one roller or a pair being 'offgrea'ter height than those of the"companionroller;

5. In a machine for shrinking hat; bats, two 7 sets of rollers between which the bat is advanced, each of said rollers having generally cylindrical ring-like portions spaced apart by, cylindrical re-, duced portions-of greater width so as to form a surface having crosswise, spaced apart depress- It-is; or courses understood thaat during-the f J inking operstion the bats be used tori this; purp s g ha steer v 'rality of rollers, each of said rollers having generally cylindrical ringlike portions spaced apart ions andelevations of generally:parti-cylindrical form, and a second plurality of: rollers forming a surface complementary to thesurface formed by the flrst rollers, thering-like pOrtionsoftherollers of one set being of' Slightly greater height;

pressio'ns andelevationsthrough the bat as it is passed between the rollers, the enlarged portions being of lesser ,width than thereduced portions and the enlarged portions of one. roller of each pair being of greater height than-the enlarged portions of the other'roller of the-pair, the peripheries of said enlarged-portions of greater height beingadapted to 'frictionally engage the reduced portions of the other roller, the space between the reduced portions of one roller and the enlarged portions of lesser height of the com-' panion roller being less than the thickness of a bat. 7

7. In a machine forishrinking hat bats, aset f of-supporting rollers, a set of pressure rollers paired with said supporting rollers, said rollers Y having alternate cylindricalportions of enlarged and reduced diameters, the enlarged portions of, y" i one set of rollers extending into the grooves provided by the reduced portions of'the other set of rollers, and the enlarged portions of'each roller ofleach set registering with the reduced portions of the preceding and following rollers of such set, the enlarged portions of the roller of one set having a greater height to an extent of less than the thickness of a bat than the enlarged portions of theother set, and the-portions of reduced diarneter being of greater width than the width of the enlarged portions. Y I g 8. In a machine for shrinking hat bats, a set of supporting rollers, a set} of pressure rollers paired with and urged towards and adapted to engage said supporting rollers, the rollersof each set having alternate cylindrical portions of enlarged and'reduced diameters, the enlarged portions of one set of rollers extending into the grooves provided by the reduced portions of the other set of rollers, means for positively rotating said supporting rollers, said pressure rollers being driven by their frictional engagement with the supporting rollers and. thebats passing between the two sets of rollers, and a drivingconnection' between successive pressure rollers and driven entirely thereby whereby to prevent stoppage of rotation of one of the pressure rollers and the launching-up of a bat therebehind;

9; In a machinefor shrinking hat bats, a set of supporting rollers, a set' of pressure rollers paired with said supporting rollers, each of said rollers'having alternate cylindrical portions of enlarged and reduced diameters, the enlarged portions of one set'of rollers extending into the of said pressurerollers being driven by frictional engagement withand at a lesser-speed than its companion supporting roller, and chain connec tions; between successive pressure rollersand driven entirely thereby whereby one pressure roller, will prevent excessive lagging of another one.' I

-l0 In-a machine for shrinkinghat bats, a set of supporting rollers, a set of pressure rollers 'paired with andurged towards said supporting the enlarged andreduced portions of therollers,

andthe endwalls of theenlarged portions 01 the rollers being inclined to a p1ane. normal to the axis of the rollers, the enlarged portions of each roller of one pair registering with and extending through the ma or portion orthewidths of the grooves of the other roller of thepair, and means for supporting said pressure rollers {for movement towards and from close -proximity to the supporting rollers so .that the portionsof the bats between the opposed enlarged portions'and re,- duced portions ofthe ro'llers engage the same and are squeezed and compressed thereby. .1 1. Ina machine for shrinking hat bats, two sets of rollersbetween which the ba'tis advanced,

the roller of each set having alternate generally cylindrical portions 'of enlarged and reduced diameters of substantial widths, the enlarged porameter being of slightly lesser widthrthan the A tions of one set of rollers extending into the grooves provided by'the-reducedportions of the other set offlrollersand the portions oflargerdiportions of reduced diameter, means for urging each of the rollers of one set towards their companion rollers, and means for supporting the rollersof one set for movement'relati've to those of the. other set to a position where the space between the rollers of the'two sets is less than the thickness of a 'bat passing therebetween whereby the bat is squeezed and compressed between the directly opposed enlarged portions and reduced'portions' 'ofthe rollers of the two sets.

7 l2. Ina machinefor shrinking hat bats, a set of supporting rollers, a set of, pressure rollers paired with and urged towards said supporting rollers, said rollers having alternate generally cylindrical portions of enlarged and reduced diametersthe enlarged portions or each roller of each pair registering with and extending through the major portion of the width of the grooves of f the other rollerof the pair, the end walls of said enlarged portions being inclined and the reduced portions being of slightly greater width than said enlarged portions, means forurging the rollers of one pair 1-towards the companion rollers Of the other pair, and means for supporting the pressure rollers for movement towards and from the supporting rollers to a position where the space hetween the rollers of the two sets is less than the thickness ofa bat passing therebetween'whereby the bat is squeezed; and compressed between the opposed'enlarged' and reduced portions of the two sets of rollers.

' J V HOMER A. GENEST. 

